Recaps

Hillman fought to escape the enraged Spined Iron-Armored Dragon after it caught up with him in Mist Canyon. He reached the canyon’s outskirts, where the territorial dragon ended its pursuit, and collapsed unconscious.

• The Spined Iron-Armored Dragon caught Hillman and wounded him with a corrosive claw strike.
• Hillman’s Earth Shield shattered when the dragon charged him, leaving him severely injured and nearly out of Battle Qi.
• Hillman used Earth Cage to briefly trap the dragon, then fled through Mist Canyon with the Mist Pearl guiding him.
• The dragon broke free and pursued Hillman, but the canyon’s narrow, wooded terrain slowed it down.
• Hillman left Mist Canyon, and the dragon returned to its territory rather than continuing the chase.
• Hillman collapsed unconscious on the grass as the Mist Pearl and blue heart grass in his storage space glowed faintly.

Hillman recovered from his fight with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, tempered his body, and strengthened his battle qi while preparing to challenge the dragon again. He entered Mist Canyon with blue heart grass, determined to take the dragon’s blood and awaken his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.

• Hillman used healing herbs, practiced the Dragonblood Secret Manual’s Healing Method, and refined the Winged Bird Dragon’s magic core while recovering in the woods.
• Hillman studied the blue heart grass and reviewed his earlier defeat, refining his tactics for facing the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon.
• Over half a month, Hillman healed his injuries, tempered his body with the Mountain-Shaking Art, and advanced to the peak of the half-step Saint-level.
• Hillman mastered Earth Roar, improved Earth Shield and Earth Cage, and set out for Mist Canyon to challenge the dragon again.
• Hillman entered Mist Canyon, where the system reported that the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon was cultivating and that his chance of victory was 40%.

Hillman returned to Mist Canyon and repeatedly fought the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, learning its attacks as both grew stronger and more familiar with each other. After the dragon saved him from a ravine, Hillman offered it dried demon wolf meat, and they settled into a bond of mutual respect while he vowed to defeat it next time.

• Hillman challenged the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon again, but it wounded him and drove him from the canyon.
• Hillman returned after recovering and used the terrain to harass the dragon, leaving small wounds before it knocked him away.
• Hillman fought the dragon repeatedly in the following days, refining his tactics as his battle qi and body grew stronger.
• The Iron-Armored Dragon began sparing Hillman and helping him during their fights, eventually catching him when he fell into a ravine.
• Hillman offered the dragon dried Level Eight Demon Wolf meat, and the two rested together as he called it an old friend and promised to beat it next time.

After five months of sparring with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, Hillman had greatly strengthened his skills and neared the Saint-level breakthrough. He said farewell to his friend and left Mist Canyon to explore the depths of the Magical Beast Forest.

• Hillman and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon spent five months sparring, and their deadly fights became a friendly rivalry.
• Hillman refined his Mountain-Shaking Art and battle qi while his half-step Saint-level bottleneck began to loosen.
• After their final sparring match, Hillman shared the last piece of dried Level Eight Demon Wolf meat with the Iron-Armored Dragon and promised to return after reaching Saint-level.
• Hillman left Mist Canyon and headed deeper into the Magical Beast Forest as the Iron-Armored Dragon watched him go.

Hillman traveled deeper into the Magical Beast Forest on his way to Blackwind Valley, where he hoped to reach Saint-level. After barely escaping the collateral damage from two battling Saint-level beasts, he took shelter in a cave to recover and refine the Winged Bird Dragon magic core.

• Hillman ignored the system's suggestion to cultivate and continued toward Blackwind Valley, following the Dragonblood Secret Manual's directions.
• The system detected a battle between the Purple-Striped Black Bear and the Crimson Flame Demon Python, and Hillman hid nearby to watch them fight.
• Hillman fled as the beasts' shock waves spread, but an attack veered toward him and shattered his Earth Shield, severely injuring him.
• Hillman swallowed a top-grade healing pill and kept running until the system confirmed he had left the danger zone.
• Hillman found a secluded cave, took more healing pills, and began refining the Winged Bird Dragon magic core.

Hillman escaped the battlefield gravely wounded and found an underground spring rich in Earth Element origin power. After healing and sensing Earth Pulsation, he broke through to the Saint level and began his journey onward.

• Hillman fled the battle between the Purple-Striped Black Bear and the Crimson Flame Demon Python and hid in a cavern as the shock waves spread.
• Hillman followed the underground passage to an Origin Spring where the system detected Earth Pulsation.
• Hillman used a supreme-grade healing pill and the Dragonblood Secret Manual to heal his wounds and restore his Battle Qi.
• Hillman sensed Earth Pulsation and drew on the Earth Element origin power until his Half-Step Saint-level bottleneck shattered.
• Hillman reached the Saint level, gained an initial understanding of the Laws of the Earth, and turned toward the cavern exit.

Hillman returned to Mist Canyon as a Saint-level powerhouse and sparred with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, matching its attacks before the friendly contest ended. He told his old friend he would leave the Magical Beast Forest soon and promised to return after gaining a deeper understanding of the Laws of the Earth.

• Hillman reached Mist Canyon and called for the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, which had grown stronger and charged at him.
• Hillman countered the dragon's charge with the Mountain-Shaking Art and defended against its energy blades with an Earth Shield imbued with the Laws of the Earth.
• Hillman and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon fought through more than a hundred exchanges, each holding back from lethal blows.
• The dragon playfully bumped Hillman after he aimed for its neck, and Hillman ended the spar by admitting the dragon was still stronger.
• Hillman shared ninth-rank magical bear meat with the dragon and told it he planned to leave the Magical Beast Forest, promising to return for another fight.

Hillman defended Mist Canyon from an early Saint-level Gold-Eater Demon Ape and earned introductory comprehension of all Earth Element laws from the system. After the ape fled, Hillman absorbed the new insights and received the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon’s approval.

• The system gave Hillman the Defend the Canyon quest after warning that a Gold-Eater Demon Ape was approaching Mist Canyon.
• Hillman reached the canyon entrance and blocked the ape, then endured its thrown tree behind an Earth Shield and clashed with its golden fist.
• When Earth Cage failed to restrain the ape, Hillman used Laws of the Earth: Devouring to absorb its attack and countered with Explosion.
• Hillman drove the injured Gold-Eater Demon Ape out of the canyon and completed the quest.
• The system granted Hillman introductory comprehension of all Earth Element laws, and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon showed its approval.

Hillman learned to command earth elemental particles and reached the introductory stage of the Earth Element Profound Mysteries. After sparring evenly with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, he looked ahead to studying the Profound Mystery of Strength.

• Hillman studied the earth element's particles and formed a Sand Sword that pierced a stone before collapsing back into sand.
• Hillman dismantled granite and reshaped it into a stone shield, then practiced forming and controlling earth in different shapes.
• Hillman reached 100% compatibility with the Earth Element Profound Mysteries, and the system announced improved control, reduced skill consumption, and increased power.
• The Spined Iron-Armored Dragon challenged Hillman to spar, and Hillman used shields, spears, sand, and stone walls to fight it on even terms.
• After more than a hundred exchanges, Hillman and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon stopped to rest, and Hillman said he would next study the Profound Mystery of Strength.

Hillman mastered the Profound Mystery of Strength by compressing Earth Element Battle Qi into a single point, then tested his new power against the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon. After their fierce sparring, he looked ahead to comprehending the Earth Travel Technique Profundity.

• Hillman trained on the rocky ground in Mist Canyon, repeatedly compressing his Battle Qi into his fist until he found the critical point.
• Hillman punched the hill-sized black rock into powder and received the system’s confirmation that he had gained an initial grasp of the Profound Mystery of Strength.
• Hillman used a casual punch to shatter a dark iron rock, then welcomed the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon when it arrived to spar.
• Hillman’s first clash with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon drove the dragon back, and they fought fiercely for more than a hundred exchanges.
• Hillman and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon stopped at sunset, both wounded and exhausted, while Hillman anticipated studying the Earth Travel Technique Profundity.

Hillman practiced matching his aura to the rock’s vibrations and gained an initial grasp of the Earth Travel Technique Profundity. After mastering silent, freely directed underground travel, he set his sights on the Life Force Profundity.

• Hillman trained at the western cliff, and the system advised him to merge with earth particles rather than try to control them.
• Hillman synchronized his spiritual power and Battle Qi with the rock, then sank into the granite and emerged from another cliff face.
• Hillman spent several days improving his underground speed, silence, and ability to change direction.
• Hillman silently approached the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon from underground, and the system announced his Earth Travel Technique Profundity compatibility had reached 100%.
• Hillman learned new ways to develop the technique and declared that he would next study the Life Force Profundity.

Hillman awakened the dying Blue Heart Grass and a dead tree by drawing on the earth’s vitality, thereby gaining an initial grasp of the Life Force Profundity. He tested his new abilities while sparring with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon and looked ahead to mastering Gravity Space.

• Hillman used spiritual power and Earth Battle Qi to nourish the nearly dead Blue Heart Grass until it regained its vitality.
• Hillman awakened a remnant Wood Soul in a dead tree, causing a green shoot to emerge and bringing his Life Force Profundity affinity to 100%.
• Hillman learned that Vitality could heal injuries, replenish Battle Qi, animate plants, and combine with his other Earth profound mysteries.
• Hillman sparred with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, using vines and self-repairing stone shields while his wounds healed quickly.
• Hillman reflected that he had grasped Earth Element, Strength, Earth Travel Technique, and Vitality, and that Gravity Space was next.

Hillman trained in the Gravity Space Profundity, mastering a gravity domain that could suppress enemies and amplify his attacks. After reaching 100% compatibility, he sensed the Earth’s pulse and said that only one of the six great profundities remained.

• Hillman used the Mountain-Shaking Art and the Earth Vein Power to study gravity, then learned to control its strength and coverage instead of relying on brute force.
• Hillman tested his gravity domain on the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, slowing it at ten times normal gravity and easing its burden when he reduced the force.
• Hillman combined gravity with the Profound Mystery of Strength, the Life Force Profundity, and the Earth Travel Technique Profundity, then practiced compressing gravity into shackles and his longsword.
• Hillman raised gravity to thirty times normal, collapsing the ground, and the system announced that his Gravity Space Profundity compatibility had reached 100%.
• Hillman received insights into advancing the profundity and sensed that he was nearing the Saint Realm Mid-Stage, then told the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon that only the last of the six great profundities remained.

Hillman attained godhood through External Godhood, creating an Earth-law Divine Clone while keeping his original body at Early Saint-level. He left Mist Canyon for Fenlan City, and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon chose to accompany him.

• Hillman comprehended all six profound mysteries of the Laws of the Earth and chose External Godhood over Internal Godhood.
• Hillman endured the pain of his soul splitting, formed an earthen-yellow Divine Spark, and became a Lowgod while his original body remained at Early Saint-level.
• Hillman tested his mastery of the six profound mysteries and decided to return to Fenlan City to reunite with his family and old friends.
• Hillman said goodbye to the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, but the dragon showed it wanted to leave Mist Canyon with him.
• Hillman rode the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon toward Fenlan City as they departed Mist Canyon at sunset.

After two years away, Hillman returned to Fenlan City with the Iron-Armored Dragon and made his way to Hogg’s home. Hogg opened the door and recognized him, freezing in shock as joy and excitement filled his eyes.

• Hillman flew toward Fenlan City on the Iron-Armored Dragon, reflecting on how much he had grown since leaving two years earlier.
• Hillman left the Iron-Armored Dragon in the woods outside the city and asked it to wait for him.
• Hillman eased the townspeople’s fear of the dragon’s presence with the gentle pressure of his Lowgod power, then entered the city.
• Hillman walked through familiar streets, remembered Hogg’s care and wondered how Linley was doing at the Ernst Institute.
• Hillman reached Hogg’s residence and knocked on the door.
• Hogg opened the door, recognized Hillman, and froze in astonishment as joy and excitement overtook him.

Hillman reunited with Hogg and told him about his growth and achievements over the past two years. Hogg described the Baruch Clan's prosperity and Linley's progress at the academy, leaving Hillman warmly reminiscing about home and his childhood friend.

• Hogg welcomed Hillman home and listened as Hillman recounted his battles in Mist Canyon, his mastery of the Profound Mysteries, and his achievement of External Godhood.
• Hillman asked about the Baruch Clan and Wushan Town, and Hogg explained how trade, logging, herb cultivation, and a martial hall had strengthened the community.
• Hogg told Hillman that the clan had renovated its old residence and honored him on a stele at Wushan Town's entrance.
• Hillman asked about Linley, and Hogg reported that Linley had become a Third-Level Mage and Fourth-Level Warrior while studying in the Inner Court.
• Hogg described Linley's friendship with Yale, George, and Reynolds, his stone carving, and his top-three finish in the academy's New Student Martial Arts Tournament.
• Hillman and Hogg laughed together as Hillman remembered practicing punches with Linley in Wushan Town.

Hillman and Hogg returned to Wushan Town, where Hillman introduced Hogg to Iron Armor and revealed a plan to awaken the Baruch Clan’s dormant dragon blood. Hogg agreed to be the first to try the medicinal liquid made from Iron Armor’s blood and Blue Heart Grass.

• Hillman and Hogg decided to return to Wushan Town to visit the clan and its new Martial Hall.
• Hillman called Iron Armor from the forest and introduced the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon to a stunned Hogg.
• Hillman and Hogg reached Wushan Town, where they greeted the clan members and visited the ancestral residence and Martial Hall.
• At the foot of the Wu Mountain Mountain Range, Hillman showed Hogg Blue Heart Grass and explained that it could be combined with Iron Armor’s blood to awaken the clan’s dragon blood.
• Hillman said Hogg had the best chance of undergoing Dragon Transformation, and Hogg agreed to try the medicinal liquid for the clan.

Hillman persuaded Iron Armor to give him dragon blood so the Baruch Clan could awaken its dormant bloodline. Hogg drank the blood with Blue Heart Grass and transformed into a dragon warrior, leaving the clan’s revival underway.

• Hogg returned to Wushan Town with the Blue Heart Grass while Hillman stayed behind with Iron Armor.
• Hillman explained the Baruch Clan’s need for strength and asked Iron Armor to share its blood, promising not to pressure it if it refused.
• Remembering their years of trust, Iron Armor exposed a blood vessel and let Hillman collect less than half a bottle of dragon blood.
• Hillman brought the blood back to the old residence, where Hogg chewed three stalks of Blue Heart Grass and drank it.
• Hogg endured the clashing powers, then grew over two and a half meters tall and developed dragon scales, horns, a tail, and claws.
• Hogg celebrated his transformation as Hillman watched, and the dragon cry startled the people of Wushan Town.

Hogg used dragon transformation to reach eighth-level strength temporarily, then studied the Dragonblood Secret Manual and trained to merge dragon blood with his Battle Qi. He broke through to the eighth level permanently and planned to stabilize his strength before helping younger clan members awaken their dragon blood.

• Hogg transformed into his dragon form and temporarily rose from the seventh-level peak to the eighth level.
• Hillman gave Hogg the Dragonblood Secret Manual and explained how its methods could merge dragon blood with Battle Qi.
• Hogg spent half a month training, gradually overcoming the pain and resistance as dragon blood fused with his Battle Qi.
• Hogg broke through to the eighth level without transforming and demonstrated his increased strength by blasting a deep impression into the courtyard wall.
• Hogg told Hillman that he would stabilize his new strength and then prepare to help younger members of the clan awaken their dragon blood.

Seven-year-old Wharton trained to become a Dragonblood Warrior and learned that his bloodline was exceptionally pure. After the Dragonblood Needle revealed his natural aptitude, his power began awakening in the Baruch Clan ancestral hall.

• Wharton practiced punching a wooden post and told Hillman he wanted to become strong enough to protect his family and Wushan Town.
• Hogg sensed that Wharton's bloodline was purer than his own had been and took him to the Baruch Clan ancestral hall.
• Hogg touched the Dragonblood Needle to Wharton's finger, and it shone brightly and formed a dragon-scale mark on his wrist.
• Hogg declared that Wharton could undergo Dragonform transformation without dragon blood or blue heart grass and vowed to guide him.
• Wharton's bloodline awakened as he touched an ancestral tablet, and Hogg urged him to concentrate and feel its power.

Hogg guided Wharton through his Dragonblood awakening, and their bloodline resonance helped the boy survive the painful transformation. Wharton emerged as a Dragonblood Warrior with an exceptionally pure bloodline, beginning his path under Hogg’s care.

• Hogg helped Wharton sense and guide the power awakened by the Dragonblood Needle.
• Wharton’s bloodline power became painfully hot and surged out of control, while Hogg’s dragonblood responded in resonance.
• Hogg used his Dragonblood Battle Qi to stabilize Wharton’s power and guided it through the route in the Dragonblood Secret Manual.
• Wharton roared and transformed, growing blue-gold scales, dragon horns, and a tail.
• Hogg praised Wharton for awakening dragon transformation without dragon blood or blue heart grass, and Hillman said he could learn to control his forms with training.

Wharton struggled to control his newly acquired dragon-transformed body in the ancestral hall, accidentally breaking several objects before learning to manage his tail. Hogg suggested they test Wharton's strength in the courtyard, but Wharton hit his horns on the doorway as he rushed out.

• Wharton accidentally knocked over a candlestick and broke a porcelain offering bowl while learning to use his tail.
• Hogg forgave Wharton and reassured him that he would learn to control his tail with practice.
• Wharton's tail hooked Hillman's hem and knocked over a broom before Wharton finally learned to control it.
• Hogg praised Wharton and proposed that he try smashing a wooden post in the courtyard with his dragon-transformed strength.
• Wharton hurried toward the doorway and struck his horns on the doorframe, making Hogg and Hillman laugh.

Two years after entering the Ernst Magic Academy, Linley had become a gifted mage with Doehring Cowart’s guidance, and the Baruch Clan had grown prosperous after Hogg awakened his Dragonblood power. After gaining permission to enter the academy’s ancient texts section, Linley decided to visit his family before pursuing its books.

• Linley studied earth magic in the library while Doehring Cowart urged him to attempt an advanced spell using elemental compression.
• Yale brought Linley roasted magical rabbit and invited him to watch Reynolds and George spar, but Linley remained focused on developing a new earth attack spell.
• Yale told Linley that the intermediate mage assessment was next month, and Linley said he planned to create an earth attack spell during it.
• The librarian informed Linley that the instructors had upgraded his borrowing privileges, allowing him to enter the ancient texts section on the fourth floor.
• Doehring Cowart urged Linley to search there for the lost earth spell Earth Pulsation, but Linley chose to go home the next day to visit Hogg and Wharton first.

Linley returned to Wushan Town after learning that Hogg, Wharton, and Hillman were waiting for him at the old Baruch residence. He reunited with his family and learned that Wharton could transform into a Dragonblood Warrior without dragon blood or Blue Heart Grass, leaving Linley wondering how he had awakened.

• Linley found Hiri’s letter at the Baruch family residence in Fenlai City and learned that Hogg, Wharton, and Hillman had gone to Wushan Town to await him.
• Linley rented a fast horse and rode to Wushan Town, thinking about his family and the disputed need for Blue Heart Grass to awaken a Dragonblood Warrior.
• Linley arrived at the repaired old Baruch residence and embraced Hogg and Hillman before Wharton hugged his legs.
• Wharton told Linley that he could transform into a Dragonblood Warrior without drinking dragon blood or eating Blue Heart Grass.
• Linley congratulated Wharton but wondered how Hogg had awakened him, then joined his family as Hiri welcomed him home.

Linley asked Hogg how he had obtained the dragon blood needed to awaken his bloodline, and Hogg explained that Hillman had risked his life in the Magical Beast Forest to secure it. Linley learned the full extent of Hillman’s sacrifices and ended the night with renewed gratitude toward his uncle.

• Linley asked Hogg where he had gotten the dragon blood for his bloodline awakening.
• Hogg told Linley that Hillman had entered the Magical Beast Forest after Linley left for the Ernst Institute, determined to help the family.
• Hogg revealed that Hillman returned half a month earlier as a Saint-level warrior after befriending a level nine Back-Spined Iron-Armored Dragon in Mist Canyon.
• Hogg explained that the dragon gave Hillman essence blood and that Hillman also found a large supply of blue heart grass.
• Hogg told Linley that blue heart grass had neutralized the dragon blood’s dangerous power, allowing him to awaken safely.
• Linley accepted Hogg’s reminder to honor Hillman’s sacrifices, while Doehring Cowart praised Hillman’s courage and loyalty.